Bears Armed's national Quidditch team
The 'Bearrzards Bright'Yes, this nation
does have an organised community of wizards
(in addtion to the famous, generally respected [although deeply mysterious], & very old individual wizard named 'Grimdark the Grey', who himself does not
play this game) although their existence was only revealed to the general public a few years ago
(on the day when I first received the relevant issue...): Prior to that their presence was basically a 'confidential' matter for those non-wizards with need-to-know i.e. various civil, military, & religious leaders... although rumours of individual wizards assisting the Confederal Army, under Grimdark's supervision, had already been current for quite a long while before that. The revealed details about their long history of service to the nation, non-involvement in governance, and effective self-policing, have helped to alleviate historic prejudice against Wizardry in general, which goes back to earlier ones' heavy involvement in running the tyrannical 'Purple Empire' regime during what outsiders would call the 8th-10th centuries AD, but there definitely are still problems in that respect. It is hoped that sending this team in the nation's name, with the possibility of this adding extra lustre to ourr international reputation, will also boost the good reputation of Wizardry back home.
All of the players and coaching staff, and those of the supporting personnel who are also wizards, are graduates of a specialised school called
'Hogwings Academy' which is located somewhere in this nation's 'Mainland' portion.
(OOC, it's been on my private maps for several years but is not yet shown on any versions of those that I have made public...) The form of wizardry taught there, dependent primarily on using wands, is easier to teach than the styles favoured by the Purple Empire's leaders, but places more limits on its wielders' capabilities than those did: The latter fact has
also been used in the recent PR campaigns. Wizarding talent occurs most frequently within certain [extended] bloodlines, mostly for reasons linked to the Purple Empire & the struggle against its rule, but can appear in members of other stocks as well due to intermarriage or for other reasons.
When it occurs in individuals without familial knowledge of the possibility, and is neither so weak that it isn't recognised as anything special nor so strong that Hogwings' talent scouts find the bearers while they are stil teachable, those people quite often go into careers for which the [rather more widespread] 'Mysticking' talent would also be suitable & whose practiconers more commonly possess
that instead.
There are no professional Quiddich teams in Bears Armed -- so far -- but there
is an established league of semi-pro teams, and all players & coaches used here are from that league... except for the head coach, , who is from Hogwings itself. For each of these, in addition to the sort of details that I would give for people involved in [for example] Football, this article
eventually should include details about the source of their Talent, which of Hogwings' four 'Groves' they were in
(i.e. 'SunBird', symbol = Phoenix-Eagle, emphasized virtue = daring; Heeyawh, Donkey, Persistence; Owlwise, Owl, Studiousnes; Uppreight, stylised ['stick-figure'] Human, Pragmatism... Note that the latter is not a "Slytherin" equivalent, as such, due to a long history of "weeding out" the sort of talented individuals who might otherwise have formed such a group: For somthing closer to that
, see the wizards of 'The Hidden Paw' which was founded & is still run by self-proclaimed "heirs" of the Purple Empire...), and day-job.
All of the players & coaches, and most of the supporting personnel who are accompanying those here, are Ursines and Wizards: Wizarding talent
does occur in occasional members of certain other native 'Peoples', to varying extent, but so far their
physical differences from Ursines have kept them out of the 'League' teams.
Unfortunately both RL and the GA got in the way, so that I can't provide all of the desirable information here immediately: I hope to give more details for the listed individuals and to add some more people as well before the tournament finishes, either by updating this post or in RP ones.
EDIT (04.07.'21.): People's ages will not be given, as a matter of deliberate & long-held policy among our wizarding community.StaffManager: Sermharn the Wanderer _ Ursine [outwardly, & of the 'Brown Bear' type, anyhows], male,
not a member of any specifc Clan or other 'Body' but considered a member of the nation as a whole. Not actually a Wizard, but apparently even older than Grimdark and possesses certain unusual abilities
(e.g. opening ways between different Realities; or "shutting-down" other people's magical abilities) at high levels of power. Has previously appeared in some of my other Sports RP, sometimes to protect the 'Bear-Belles' against hostile supernatural actions. can assume Human form if really necessary. Even-tempered and, despite his antiquity, appears usually as just middle-aged.
Manager's Assistant (Administrative): Errikha Whitbarr _ Ursine ['Brown Bear' type, but with very pale fur], from Clan WhiteBear; Hogwings 'glade' was Heeyawh, a civil servant, on loan from the national government's 'Bureau for Magick', whose minor wizarding talent has mostly been channelled into 'Truth-sense'. very patient with other people, unless she realizes that she is being deliberately stalled.
Chief Coach: Arri Krrunh _ Ursine ['Black Bear' type], male, from Clan WildWoods; Wizard, Hogwings 'glade' was Uppreight, also teaches Quidditch [& broom-riding in general] at Hogwings and is coach of that school's
own Quidditch team; also a highly gifted & skilled linguist, but tends to be long-winded except in emergencies or when actually in action as a coach; strict but fair, tends to use sarcasm more than shouting when criticizing the players or other people; familiar is a Crow.
Chief Healer: Minnurrvha Barrister _ Ursine ['Brown Bear' type; fur
greyish-brown intrinsically, due to ancestry, rather than just to her relatively advanced age], female, from Clan GreyBear; Wizard, Hogwings 'glade' was Owlwise, employed as Chief Healer at Hogwings; tends to be [usually unjustifiably] pessimistic; familiar = "Healing" Serpent.
(The above two characters are in a longstanding, but childless, relationship.) Chief Physiotherapist: Krystal Bruin _ Ursine ['Brown Bear' type, & towards the more anthropomorphic end of the scale despite not being a wizard], female, from Clan WestWoods; non-Wizard; also worked as chief Physiotherapist for our football team the 'Bear-Belles' during their "recent" return to international competition (and, in fact, has [by her ex-husband Artorrios Brown] a daughter -- named 'Steffannee'-- who was/is a member of
that team) and apparently then became Sermharn's ladyfriend.
Roster(Players whose names are preceded by asterisks are usual starters, the others are potential replacements who are being sent along in case they are needed.)Chasers* Urrsa-Charranna WidewindleSide _ ['Black Bear' type], female, from Clan WildWoods; glade was SunBird; team captain; day job is as an Army Air Corps scout, home team = 'Strike Witches'; familiar = Kestrel.
* Arri 'Not That One' Potter _ ['Brown Bear' type, although on the relatively small-ish size for this; fur intrinsically
greyish-brown, due to ancestry], male, from Clan GreyBear; glade was Owlwise; day job is as an Army Air Corps scout, home team = 'Confederal Engineers'; familiar = AeroPig.
* Harro 'Hotshot' O Jherran ['Brown Bear' type, but with distinctly
reddish-brown fur], male, from Clan Jherran Habbahr; glade was SunBird; day-job is as a broomstick test-pilot, home team = 'NonFerrous Aviation'; familiar = 'Northlands Blue' Parrot.
(The above two characters are rivals for Urrsa-Charranna's favours, and do not get on well with each other....) Yorranth'hra Redwood-of-the-Glens _ ['Black Bear' type], female, from Clan Redwoods; younger than most of the others, and quite agile even by Human standards let alone by Ursine ones; glade was SunBird; day job is as a Sports teacher in a
non-'wizarding' school, home team = 'SoutherVales Soarers'; familiar = Spotted Cat.
Beaters* Harron Brent _ ['Brown Bear' type], male, from Clan Redwood; glade was SunBird; day job is as a broomstick-builder, home team = 'NonFerrous Aviation'; familiar = AeroPig.
* Garron Brent _ as above; Harron & Garron are twins and, although "fraternal" rather than "identical" ones, are
extremely similar in appearance & have a strong mental rapport.
Arrunn Wirrh'ingTon_ ['Brown Bear' type], male, from the Rohr-Ingherra Free Sept; glade was Owlwise; day job is as a radio/television engineer & broadcasting executive, home team = 'Old Yarrowvians'; a bit older than any of the team's other players, but very well-preserved and probably the most intelligent of them all; familiar = Green Jay.
Seeker* Marra True _ ['Brown Bear' type, with
golden-brown fur], female, from the Sun Clan; glade was SunBird; day job is as a 'Wizard-Sniffer' [i.e. 'Auror'], home team is 'Solstcia Sunbolts'; familiar is Peregrine Falcon.
Arrmeorree Smith _ ['Brown Bear' type], female; day job is as in magical research [at an undisclosed location:
"I could tell you, but then I'd have to Obliviate you..."], home team = 'Three Cities Fly-Rights'; one of the team's most intelligent members, tends to be very precise in her speech and is perhaps
a bit obsessive-compulsive in nature; familiar = AeroPig.
Keeper* Birron O Wirrenne _ ['Brown Bear' type, with slightly
reddish-brown fur], male, from Clan Herrchaum; glade was Heeyawh; day job is as a freelance 'magic item' repair-bear, home team = 'SoutherVales Soarers'; familiar = Malabran Giant Squirrel.
AurhBear Redstone _ ['Brown Bear' type, basically, but with bright orange-red fur; physically the largest of the players brought along], male, from Clan Redwood; glade was Uppreight; day job is as a smith/metal-sculptor, home team is 'SoutherVales Soarers'; familiar = House Marten.
Kit Robes, which are sleeveless, banded -- to use
"everybearry"'s colours -- from white at the top through red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, and indigo, to violet at the lower end.
Broomsticks: standardized as 'Hawker HighRides', which are also the most common type used by Ursine wizards on
military duty because they require relatively little field maintenance, except that Seekers use [slightly more manoueverable] 'SuperAerial SwiftSoarers' instead.
PermsisionsThis team has been carefully selected to make a good impression [hopefully1] as well as to try winning. so they will not
deliberately commit fouls -- except perhaps in angry retaliation for any obvious fouls committed against
them that the referees seem to have ignored. It's possible that some of them aren't fully up to date on all the
minor technicalities for how some rules are interpreted abroad, but please consult with me before RPing this.
Specify one of my players as doing something
else that deserves a penalty? Maybe, but again please consult me first.
Presume that your own players cheat and do
not get called on this by mine even if the referees initially miss it? Not without getting my permission in advance.
Injure my players? Yes, but not too many of them in any one game and not anything that would have effects lasting significantly beyond the game concerned unless you can get my permission in advance.
Choose my goal-scorers? Yes.
Godmode goals, in either direction? Yes, certainly.
Miscellaneous NotesSome of you already have experience of my Bears, some do not. They are as intelligent as humans (on average), and no more "bestial" in their natures, with the 'wizarding' ones comparable to the general populace in those respects approximately as are wizards in Human societies.
They might be physically
slightly less nimble than Humans, on average, although that would be more obvious in ground-based sports such as Football than it is when both groups are flying on broomsticks... and 'wizardly' Bears tend to be from groups belonging towards the more anthropomorphic end of the scale anyhows. They generally
are physically a bit larger & tougher than humans of the same ages, though, so back home they play using heavier 'bludgers' than will be used in this tournament: Expect them to be less affected by bludger impacts than Humans would be, and their own Beaters to hit the bludgers
hard...
Unless & until they are told credibly otherwise that it is okay
not to do so, they will use enchanted items (called 'Periapts of Form') to appear outwardly Human when & where they know that they are likely to be seen by non-wizards here: This does
not include during matches.
It is currently the Summer holidays at Hogwings, hence the availability of some of its staff for this event... and the fact that other staff, and even some students, may turn up among the spectators.
The team's working language is English, or more specifically the 'Urso-English' form, in which all personnel are fluent. They do
not say "Mudbloods", or even "Muggles", to describe non-wizardly people: They say "Mainstreams" or maybeso "Mundanes" (or colloquially, maybeso, "Mundies"), instead.
Ursine wizards commonly revere one or all three of 'the Three Wise birds' (i.e. Owl, Eagle, and Raven) as their patron spirits. They do not use birds of those types as familiars, and rely on the nation's
sapient Ravens'
professional postal services.
One "unusual" type of animal that a lucky few of them keep as familiars is the 'AeroPig', a type of small pig [c.8"-16" long as an adult, with feathered wings in the same colour as their hair or skin] that is apparently
almost sapient, can fly (although not at very high speeds), and may have inherent magical means for escaping problems.
"Mundane" news media personnel accompanying the team for this tournament include star reporter & broadcaster Bark 'Not a "survivor of the doomed planet Krapton", for true!' Brent, his wife the even more renowned reporter Florise Fane, and camerabear Jamms 'Jammy' Bearthorromew Urrsen (with his wife, Lurrsee Fane Urrsen, a former member of the 'Bear-Belles' who happens to be Florise's younger sister, and their young daughter ErrisaBear Urrsen... who herself has functional wings!). These have all travelled previously with the 'Bear-Belles'.